Truth is stranger than fiction: The experience of a disciple of Swami Sivananda

Updated on October 8, 2015

Truth is His name (Sathya)

The mysterious sadhu

Whenever anybody speaks about how they first came to Puttaparthi or how their plan to come to Puttaparthi went awry, I am reminded of the experience of Mr. Arun Mandale. His experience borders between the realms of the bizarre and the fantastic. When I first heard it from my friend and classmate in University, I was simply dying to meet the man who experienced it. A few months later, Swami gave me the opportunity to meet him and hear the experience firsthand. My jaw simply dropped and my hairs stood on their end as the narrative came to a close. More than anything else, my heart sent prayers of gratitude to Swami. I shall simply narrate the story as he told me and leave the readers to experience it in their own ways.

Mr. Arun Mandale resides in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh and was the Samithi convenor there for a long time. This story is based in the late 1990’s. I wish to confirm the exact dates the next time I meet him.

Being the convenor of the samithi, bhajans were a regular feature every Thursday in Mr.Mandale’s house. One day, he noticed that there were quite some strangers who had come for bhajan at his home. As weeks passed by, the number of such ‘strangers’ or first-timers kept increasing. Intrigued at this apparent sudden spurt of the ‘devotional quotient’ of his city, Mr.Mandale approached one such ‘stranger’ after a Thursday bhajan session.

“Sairam sir. You seem to be coming here for the first time. May I help you in any way?”“Ah! Yesterday evening there was a sadhu (mendicant / monk / hermit) who came to me at the bus stand. He told me that if I wanted peace of mind, I should visit a certain address on Thursday. The address he gave me led me here!”Needless to say, Mr.Mandale was pleasantly surprised.But then, matters got more intriguing. Everyone - each and every one - of the ‘strangers’ had a similar story of a sadhu guiding them to that home for bhajans! The only variable in the stories was the venue where they met the sadhu. For most however, the sadhu had accosted them at the railway station. Unable to bear his curiosity any longer, Mr.Mandale decided to investigate.

If anyone says that he/she is completely intrigued now, they better gear up for something much more wondrous! The story starts moving into the realms of the fantastic now.

With his daughter, the bewildered samithi convenor wended his way to the railway station in Indore. After some searching, his eyes fell upon the sadhu seated silently in one corner. Mr. Mandale told his daughter to fall at the feet of the sadhu in respect. The sadhu blessed her and now Mr. Mandale sought his blessings. As he started to move towards him, the sadhu looked up. Within a few steps of reaching him, the sadhu held up his hand and said in a stentorian voice,“Stop!”Mr. Mandale froze in his tracks as he continued to say,“If you wish to come close to me, I have two conditions. The first is that you shall not fall at my feet. The second is that I shall fall at your feet! Are you game?”

Curiosity levels peaked in Mr.Mandale and he was ready “to do anything to get to the bottom of what was happening - even giving a padanamaskar (touch of the feet)!” Having fulfilled both conditions, he sat by the sadhu along with his daughter. The sadhu began to speak of his own volition.

A story that will drop down any jaw!

“Listen to a story. I was barely aged 6 when my father submitted me in devotion to my Guru - Swami Sivananda. I joined his ashram (hermitage) and totally submitted myself to my Guru. My guru was my everything - mother, father and God too. It was then that a young lad with a thick black mop of hair arrived to our ashram at Rishikesh.”

On the twenty-second of July Baba left New Delhi by car for Rishikesh. Swami Sivananda's monastic disciples escorted Him from Hardwar. When He reached Sivanandanagar at 6:30 that evening, Swami Sivananda called a special gathering of the disciples at the Ashram and offered Baba a hearty welcome. While Sivananda greeted Baba with folded hands, as was his custom, Baba acknowledged the greeting with His posture of the Hand which means, "Do not fear," a sign that has given peace to thousands of troubled souls.

He then materialized by the mere Wave of His Hand a magnificent Rudraksha garland of 108 beads, a rosary made from a berry. It was of exquisite workmanship, each bead encased in gold, and all were strung in gold with a five-faced king-bead in the center. He presented it to Swami Sivananda Saraswati. He also manifested a large quantity of Sacred Ash and applied it to the sage's forehead. That evening when the Swami entered the Satsang Hall wearing the unique garland, everyone was awed by its luster and workmanship and the miracle that brought it forth. Swami Sivananda spoke of Bhagavan and His message. He expounded on the efficacy of Namasmarana, the remembering of the Name of God, and appealed as a medical practitioner for a daily dose of dispassion to be taken by every person along with the regular diet of the Lord's Name.

It came as a pleasant surprise to many in the Ashram when they saw, on the day Baba departed, Swami Sivananda enthusiastically taking Baba around his hermitage, for on the day Baba reached the Ashram, and for a number of days thereafter, the Swami had been pushed around in a wheelchair!

At that time Swami Sivananda was on a wheelchair. Swami in fact had pushed the wheelchair and had spent personal time with Swami Sivananda.

A rare picture of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and Swami Sivananda | Source

“When my guru touched the feet of this orange-robed figure, much younger than him, I was shocked. How could he being the Master, bow down to anyone else? It was then that the guru revealed to us that the Krishna he had adored had finally presented Himself in his ashram. I was amazed at this yogi whom guru had called as Lord Krishna.”

This young boy now began to have strange experiences in his meditation.

“Whenever I sat in meditation, in the deepest moments, I would see this new yogi in my forehead, in between my eyebrows ( Bhrumadhyastana as it is known). This went on for years. In 1963, my peerless guruji gave up his body. We continued to stay at the hermitage in Rishikesh, practicing our meditations and the master’s teachings.”

Now the story moves into fantabulous realms!

The sadhu, along with others in the ashram, would move to caves in the Himalayan mountains where he would spend the entire summer and spring months. At the onset of winter, they would all return to the warmth and safety of the ashram to continue their penances. It was during one of those sojourns in the cave that the sadhu met Sri Sathya Sai Baba for a second time.

“One day, in the cave, I noticed that there were no matches. Now, I had to traverse miles back to civilization for a piece of match. It was at this time that suddenly, the yogi I had seen long ago in my guru’s ashram, walked into the cave. He gave me the matches I needed and moved on. After that day, on many other instances, he came to my cave and gave me things that I needed.”

Our friend, the sadhu, had assumed that Swami was another hermit staying in the Himalayas. He was amazed that this lad was able to gauge his needs and was grateful for his timely appearances. One day he felt that it would only be basic courtesy to visit the yogi back in “his cave”! Was he in for a surprise!

“When I made some enquiries in Rishikesh, I came to know that this yogi was not a resident of the Himalayas but stayed in some place in South India. However, having determined to meet him, I decided to make the journey to South India. I was advised to take the train to the city of Madras (present day Chennai) and I did the same.”

The sadhu landed in Madras which was a big city and was lost. As he wandered about the city, he saw a photograph of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Hungrily, he rushed to the spot and made enquiries. Finally, a man helped him with directions.

“Take the train to Dharmavaram. From there, you will get regular buses to Puttaparthi. That is where Sathya Sai Baba resides.”

Present day Dharmavaram Railway Station

Dharmavaram surely did not have such a wonderful railway station in those days... | Source

A grand (anti) climax to the sadhu's search?

Very often, we think that we have come to Puttaparthi. And if anyone asks us how to reach Puttaparthi, we say, “Take a flight/bus/train/car to Bangalore/Puttaparthi” and so on. That is an answer of course. But is that the right answer? The story now moves into the realms of the completely bizarre. It is only fair that I allow the sadhu to complete his story in his own words.

“I took the train and reached Dharmavaram. It was late in the evening and I was told that the last bus to Puttaparthi had already left. I would be able to complete my journey only early the next morning. I slept on the comfortable platform in Dharmavaram. Being accustomed to sleeping on the icy rocks of the Himalayas, the platform was a soft bed for me!”

“The next morning, I woke up and it was pitch dark all around me. I was a bit confused. I waded my way in the darkness only to walk out of my cave in the Himalayas! I was shocked. I rushed back in and heard a voice from within. It said

‘Child! When your time comes, I shall call you to Parthi.’

I was simply dumbstruck”, the sadhu completed.

As Mr.Mandale sat in silence, digesting the profundity and magnitude of the experience this sadhu at the Indore railway station had narrated to him, the sadhu continued,“I have never been to Puttaparthi till this day. You have been there, seen Him, talked to Him and touched Him. Tell me, is it not right that I touch your feet and not the other way round?”

As Mr.Mandale completed his narrative, there was a glimmer of a tear in his eye. I was too overwhelmed to speak.

One thing I know for sure - there is only one way to come to Puttaparthi and that is - if He calls!

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Comments 26 comments

Mrs dharamjit chana 3 years ago

Sai Ram to all brothers and sister s thank you very much you give me lot of information. i glad important things point my clears. thanks a lot our god swami we love to god. thanks.

aravindb1982 4 years ago from Puttaparthi, India Author

@ Bishnu - Bringing the hands together in prostration is common; but touching the feet is not. That was what Swami Sivanandaji's disciple revealed.

Bishnu 4 years ago

Swami Shivananda respects everybody and prostates ti every Sadhu, not only Sai Baba.

Mark Aspa 4 years ago

A most wonderful and thrilling account...there is nothing our Swami cannot do!

Pravinaa 4 years ago

Aravind anna, your writings are something i must read before i start off my day. It gives me a strange feeling as though Swami sits together with me and reads it. Thank you anna for your write ups.

Mr. Happy 4 years ago from Toronto, Canada

Haha!! I love this story. After all, as You well know I am already on my first strike-out (as they would call it in a base-ball game), in terms of visiting Puttaparthi.

I have wanted to visit India for a long time though and I will do so. Perhaps I will start in the north and try to make my way south. So, if I am teleported anywhere else when I get close to Puttaparthi, I can at least say I visited other parts of India. And I can use mail again for other things, since I know that works fine. : )

Yes. Strange circumstances indeed with coming to Puttaparthi. I can certainly agree with the need for the right time. Timing is very important sometimes and I am sure You can agree here Mr. Aravind. One can have the best camera, with the best lens and whatever else - if the timing is not right though, there is no photograph. Such is Life - Live and Learn.

Great story and storytelling. Cheers! : )

Sai Siva Kumar 4 years ago

Sairam Aravind,

Thanks for sharing such wonderful experience...

Sanjivani Vaidya 4 years ago

Thank you Bhaiya for sharing awesome experience of my Papa with all. I am his elder daughter residing at Indore and we are really the luckiest to have Swami's darshan at Parti. It is all his wish and we are just a part of this beautiful divine drama. Please send us more and more of such kinds to be in that track to get ultimate peace by listening to sawmi's miracle and sharing with others.Jai Sai Ram

poornimasrinath 4 years ago from Midrand, Johannesburg, RSA

In this Sadhu's life in caves God Himself had given darshan to His devotee thus making his living place Prashathi Nilayam. Swami had given the highest grace to the sadhu..perhaps that is why He never invited him to Parthi. A good piece of interesting information again!

Madhavi Alapaty 4 years ago

I heard from so many people and from books also..'unless he wills the visit..we cannot go to puttaparthi'. in that way we are blessed to have taken number of visits to parthi but still didn't get any close encounter with SWAMI..that will be the greatest loss in my life. Thank you for sharing this experience.

Ramesh Natarajan 4 years ago

Sri Mandlay Uncle I was fortunate to hear it from your mouth at Puttaparthi & Bhilai.Very happy to read this article again and experience the Omnipresence of the Divinity of our Bloved Swami.SAIRAM

Nita Singh 4 years ago

Sairam !! Thank you so much for shring this beautiful story with us, it just touches our heart very deeply,what a lifetime story. i saw this when u wrote nearly a week ago, but i had been busy so tonight i said to myself, iam going read this .....now iam speechless !! amazing !..thank you once again bhaiya :)..even when i read you had vibhuti in your house on 24th april..honestly all i said to myself..you are so blessed , its not in everyones destiny to have a blessed life...and yes !as you wrote at the end that only when swamy calls us to parthi than one goes there...it really means a lot and you said so true!..many thanks again..sairam

Achinthya Shiva 4 years ago

Thank u Arvind..battery recharged...

Sai Jahnavi 4 years ago

Sai Ram Aravind,

Thank you for sharing. I had never read or heard of this experience before. It has some profound meaning in it.

But what struck me more is, from past few months I have been praying to Swami to "call" me to be in Parthi for this Easwaramma day celebrations. I am truly yearning for it. And the statement "there is only one way to come to Puttaparthi and that is - if He calls!" is a way Swami puts things right in my head!

Thank you!

An Impressed 4 years ago

Or maybe Swami decided that this Avatar of his is especially to transform the masses and kept the great Jnanis in wait for future attendance ..

God! You've really made me think now ..

An Impressed Reader 4 years ago

Am dumbfounded!! Tears in my eyes too ..

What is it that we all might have done compared to this great sadhu who has spent his life in sadhana constantly in pursuit of God !! Am really puzzled ..

Yes, Truth is much much starnger than fiction ..

And it so happens that I saw this picture of our Swami and Swami Shivananda while reading the first volume of Sathyam Shivam Sundaram today morning ..

And the words that struck me most was Swami's assurance that he would, for sure, provide for everyone who took up God's name .. Your post seems like a reiteration ..

Reading this was definitely an out of the world experience brother .. Thanks!!

Ajith Padyana 4 years ago

Sairam anna,

Just too good ! We are blessed to have his darshan, sparshan and sambhashan !

Janardhan 4 years ago

Thanks Brother!

Lrao 4 years ago

Does indeed induce goosebumps - makes us wonder at the Divine Grace that allowed us to have constant and continuous darshans of Swami over years/decades. And makes us want to continue to accumulate good karma for future darshans!!!!

The black and white picture is precious to look at! Thank you.

Shruti 4 years ago

Yes... we are really very fortunate to have lived with Him for years and can still visit Him and Puttaparthi!

aravindb1982 4 years ago from Puttaparthi, India Author

@ Spirit Whisperer - Very true. The way each one of us is called is wonderful. ( For me, it felt normal till I seriously pondered on it. In retrospect, it is really fantastic and so perfectly timed)

@ Deepak - I think you got the roles a bit mixed up! Mr. Arun Mandalay keeps regularly coming to Puttaparthi. As far as the sadhu is concerned, I have no idea!

vaishnavi rao 4 years ago

So true anna! Appa always tells that! If you are set foot in the Soil Puttaparthi, then it will happen only on the day when Swami wants you to be there.!! Everything is HIS WILL.

Deepak 4 years ago

Did Mr Mandalay visit Parthi? Or is this the end of the article.....sigh!!!!!!!

Sai Nandagiri 4 years ago

Each and every blog you write here adds on to the reading about divine and the thirst to read more and more of the same. Jai Sai Ram

Spirit Whisperer 4 years ago from Isle of Man

I was only very recently explaining to Mr Happy that it is only with Swami's blessing that the road is open to us.

This is a wonderful tale and reminds me of the time it took before I myself was allowed to visit Swami in Puttaparthi. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity and I thank you for sharing another wonder episode in your chronicles of Sai Baba.